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1:16 p.m. | Updates below | Anthony Leiserowitz, the director of the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication, just sent the note below about a new analysis of climate attitudes. I’m posting it here as part of a continuing effort to point to notable news and analysis out there in the firehose flood of information:

Today we are releasing a short report that draws upon data from our latest national survey (March 2012) and other research to investigate this question: On balance, will candidates for political office benefit or be harmed by talking about and supporting action to reduce global warming?

The short answer is that – at the national level and among ten key swing states – taking a pro-climate stand appears to benefit candidates more than hurt them with registered voters. Of course, the political dynamics in any given district may be an exception to this pattern, but it is important to note that the pattern is similar at both the national and swing-state scales.

A few highlights:

· A majority of all registered voters (55 percent) say they will consider candidates’ views on global warming when deciding how to vote.
· Among these climate change issue voters, large majorities believe global warming is happening and support action by the U.S. to reduce global warming, even if it has economic costs.
· Independents lean toward “climate action” and look more like Democrats than Republicans on the issue.
· A pro-climate action position wins votes among Democrats and Independents, and has little negative impact with Republican voters.
· Policies to reduce America’s dependence on fossil fuels and promote renewable energy are favored by a majority of registered voters across party lines.

1:16 p.m.|Update

Candidates can effectively elevate the agenda status of the issue by focusing on the possible harm to people in their district, and the need to defend local communities and industries from climate change-related impacts. Framing climate change in terms of public health and safety is not only likely to diversify and intensify support for national policy action, but our research suggests that a health focus may also help diffuse the intuitive feelings of anger common to the conservative base.

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has published a special package of reports on issues related to the earthquake, tsunami and Fukushima Daiichi nuclear leaks that hammered Japan just over six months ago. They’re worth exploring regardless of your stance on nuclear power. Among the pieces are:

Chang W. Lee/The New York TimesStrong wind, heavy rain and surging waves as Hurricane Irene struck the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

Gauging Extremes

The journal Nature has published a helpful update on scientists’ efforts to narrow one of the biggest gaps in climate science — the inability to reliably gauge the role of greenhouse-driven warming in determining the intensity of the kinds of extreme climate events that matter most to societies — from hurricanes to heat waves.

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By 2050 or so, the human population is expected to pass nine billion. Those billions will be seeking food, water and other resources on a planet where humans are already shaping climate and the web of life. Dot Earth was created by Andrew Revkin in October 2007 -- in part with support from a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship -- to explore ways to balance human needs and the planet's limits.